Bustamante Hospital for Children Accepting Emergency Cases Only

Mar 23, 2017 | Kingston

he South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) wishes to advise the public that the Bustamante Hospital for Children is only accepting emergency cases until further notice.

This is as a result of the industrial action being taken by the health records staff following an incident involving a parent at the hospital, which resulted in a health records clerk being seriously injured.

The incident occurred last night (March 22, 2017) at approximately 11:00 p.m. The police was immediately summoned to the hospital to deal with the matter. The staff member has been admitted to the Kingston Public Hospital and is now recovering from surgery.

A meeting was held this morning (March 23, 2017) with the staff, police, union representatives and the management of the hospital. The staff was given the opportunity to voice their concerns and the management team advised them of the way forward in terms of addressing the concerns. The safety of the staff is paramount. The staff has been reassured that security measures will be strengthened to further safeguard them while they carry out their duties.

Counselling will be offered to all members of staff as needed.

The Region is working with the staff to restore normalcy as soon as possible.

The Region continues to appeal to the public to treat all health staff with respect and give them your full cooperation while they continue to serve the public.

There is complaint mechanism in place and so anyone who is dissatisfied with the service they receive can lodge a complaint to the Patients’ Affairs Department at the hospital. The public can also call 1888-429-5013 or e-mail patientcare@admin.serha.gov.jm.